


Let It Be

by momentsintimex



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Kidfic, M/M, Music Producer Ashton, Musician Luke, but they still make appearances, michael and calum aren't in it as much, music producer au, single dad ashton
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 01:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6495406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentsintimex/pseuds/momentsintimex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton Irwin was an up and coming music producer with the world at his feet.</p><p>Luke Hemmings had just moved to Sydney to start his life after finishing uni.</p><p>Their paths would cross in more ways than one, whether they were planning on it or not.</p><p> </p><p>Or Ashton meets Luke in the unlikeliest of circumstances and things go in the direction Ashton had expected the least.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own 5 Seconds of Summer, and all work is written by and fiction of my own mind.
> 
> I hope you guys like it! :)

“It’s one night out on the town, I don’t understand how that’s going to kill you.” 

It wasn’t that Ashton didn’t want to go out. Because honestly, he did. It had been so long since he had gone out for a night with the lads, not having to worry about anything that was going on in his life.

Since work had picked up and he had been left swimming in contracts, meetings, and business calls that extended into his home life, he often found himself asleep on the couch before nine, a new record, even to his standards.

“It’s not going to kill me, I’m just exhausted. You don’t have endless meetings and contracts to go over and a tiny human to look after, Cal. You can have a lads night whenever you want.”

“Emmi is with a sitter for the night, you can come hang out after dinner. Michael said he met some guy at work who just moved here, he’s planning on bringing him to the pub to hang out with us for a bit, guess he wants to meet some people around here and get like a new friend group?” Calum had a knack of missing parts of conversations due to being distracted, just like he had in this moment, Ashton emitting a groan from his lips, his head falling into his hands.

“I’ll go, but just for tonight. No heavy drinking for me, I do still have the school run and work tomorrow morning.” Standing up from the table to set back off for work Calum couldn’t help but smile at his best friend, promising he’d be there at six to pick him up.

—

“You’re going to be good for Hayley, yes? No acting up, no throwing a fit when she tells you it’s bed time.” Standing in the bathroom of his Sydney condo Ashton worked on fixing his hair, his five year old daughter sat on the edge of the tub behind him, making up a story with her Barbies to pass the time.

“Yes, Daddy,” A groan escaped her lips, her head falling back.

“Ember Marie, I’m being serious. I don’t want to hear that you acted up.”

“Okay,” She nodded, walking over to him and stepping up on the stool she used to reach the sink, tugging on Ashton’s leather jacket to grab his attention.

“Are you going out with Uncle Calum?”

“I am, and a few of his friends. Remember Michael?” While Ashton had hung out with Michael fairly often Emmi hadn’t really gotten to know the man, instead meeting him briefly when they would come to pick Ashton up for dinner or a different event that he needed to be at with them.

A knock on the door swiftly interrupted the conversation the two of them were having, Emmi’s eyes widening as she ran down the hall, Ashton hearing the door open just a few seconds later.

“Ember, you know that we don’t open the door if we don’t know who it is.” Appearing in the family room where Emmi sat perched in Calum’s lap, she looked back, biting her lip.

“But it was Uncle Cal!” 

“Yes, but you didn’t know that when you first opened the door.” 

“Your dad is right, Emmi bear, just because it was me doesn’t mean it will be me every time.” Calum interjected, Emmi sighing in defeat as she nodded, muttering an apology as she fell against Calum’s chest.

—

“He told me he would be here by now. Should’ve known he was going to be late like normal.” Glancing at his phone again Calum took another swig of his beer, Ashton taking a much slower approach to the drink sat in front of him that Calum had insisted he had.

“Come on Ash, lighten up. You’re going to be such a buzzkill if you sit here and mope about, you know? It’s good to let loose once in a while, especially when you never really do it.” Calum had been the one friend that understood Ashton, the two of them having been friends from their grade school days. 

“There they are!” Standing up to greet Michael and the boy he had brought along had caused Ashton to break out of his trance, turning to greet his mate as he caught a glance of the boy walking just behind him.

Ashton didn't believe in falling in love at first sight, but he was almost positive his heart was preparing to beat out of his chest.

“Cal, Ash, this is my mate Luke. He just started working down at the shop with me, figured I’d bring him on a night out, get him some more mates in Sydney.” Calum stepped forward first to shake his hand, Ashton forcing himself to do the same.

“Nice to meet you.” He stuttered out, praying that it was just the heat of the pub making him feel flushed, and his cheeks weren’t actually turning as red as they felt.

—

It had been three hours and a handful of drinks later before Ashton realized what time it was, his hazy eyes glancing at his phone.

“Oh my god, when did it get this late? I’ve got meetings in the morning that I’d prefer to not be hungover at.” Pressing his hands to the wood table Ashton made a slow effort to move, feeling the effects of the alcohol he had been putting in his system for the past few hours.

It wasn’t that things hadn’t been going well, because honestly, they had. He had managed to get his beating heart and his nerves under control fairly quickly, falling into a comfortable conversation with the lads, learning more about Luke and his life since he had moved to Sydney.

The goodbyes were quick and left with a promise from Ashton that he would do this again soon, although they all knew it was his drunken stupor talking. Ashton argued that he wasn’t drunk, because he definitely wasn’t. He was planning on calling it tipsy.

Taking a taxi home Ashton just barely managed to pay Hayley for babysitting that night, popping back an ibuprofen and bringing a bottle of water with him to bed, collapsing under the sheets with ease after plugging his phone in, realizing he was about to get five hours of sleep, if he was lucky.


	2. two.

Ashton woke up the next morning with a dry mouth and a slight headache, immediately reminded on why he doesn’t go out to the pub, especially on a night where he has to be up early the next morning. 

Getting Emmi dressed and to school on time was a miracle in itself, and on the way to the offices Ashton needed to stop for some coffee, the back of his mind telling him to grab a water as well, hoping that he could kick this feeling he had left behind the minute his daughter was born.

“Morning, Lucy.” Giving a small smile as he walked past the secretary’s desk, she acknowledged him.

“Morning, Ashton. You’ve got a meeting in a half hour, I’ve placed your things on your desk for you to look over beforehand.” Thanking her quietly Ashton made his way to his office, setting his things down as he looked at the folder on his desk, groaning quietly.

Ashton loved his job, mostly because it gave him the means to look after both him and Emmi with no trouble at all. He was able to provide her with a flat in the city that she loved, she went to one of the top schools in Sydney, and she was absolutely thriving with the amount of friends she had judging by the amount of birthday parties Ashton found himself at each weekend.

It was just moments like these that made him feel like maybe this wasn’t the job for him. He had a pounding headache that he was almost positive could rival the worst of spring thunderstorms with it’s power, and he had a million things on his plate between her artist contracts to negotiate, business plans to go over, and meetings that he felt would never end, he truthfully just wanted a break.

He couldn't remember the last time he had a day where he could just spend with Emmi, and that upset him. She was his little girl, and it seemed as if she was growing up faster than he had ever wanted her to, not like he could stop things. He desperately just wanted one day where he didn't have to worry about what work he hadn't finished, although right now it looked like that wasn't coming any time soon.

It seemed like it had barely been five minutes since he had settled into his office before there was a knock on the door, Lucy standing there with a smile on her face.

“Your appointment is here to see you. He’s a few minutes early, but I can bring him back if you’re ready.” Realizing he hadn’t even had a chance to look at the folder she had set on his desk before he had arrived Ashton knew he had a vague understanding of who was coming, realizing he was coming to talk about a recording deal. 

“That's fine, Lucy, you can send him back.” She left as quickly as she came, Ashton flipping through the folder quickly before there was a knock on the door again, Ashton looking up from his work.

“Hello, I’m Luke Hemmings.” 

“Oh my god,” Was the only thing Ashton was able to mutter as he made eye contact with the boy standing in the doorway, Luke’s eyes mirroring his.

“Well, this is just a little awkward." Trying to lighten the mood Luke couldn’t help but smile, watching as Ashton stood up from his desk, ushering him into the room and shutting the door behind him.

“I had no idea you were a musician.” 

“Well, to be fair, you were a bit drunk last night when I mentioned it." If Ashton wasn't blushing before he most definitely was now, his cheeks quickly heating up after the boy made his remark.

“I wasn't drunk. I was tipsy. There's a difference." Ashton’s argument was weak and he knew it, but it had been said, and there wasn’t anything that he could really do to change that.

“Right.” Luke smiled, leaning back in the chair across from Ashton’s desk, a smirk on his face as Ashton shuffled through his papers, trying to compose himself so they could start the meeting.

“I listened to your demo, and I have to say I was impressed. Did you do it in a studio?” Glancing at the papers in the file Ashton spoke, hoping that he regained his composure as quickly as he could.

“No, I couldn't afford one. That’s kind of why I moved here, I was hoping that I’d find a studio that would let me use their stuff so I could work on getting signed.” Ashton was surprised at how eloquent Luke spoke, his lip ring catching in between his teeth after giving his answer.

“Fair enough. I like the sound you’ve got, honestly. How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?” Ashton questioned, hoping he wasn’t being too forward with what he had asked.

“I’m 22.” Making a mental note that the boy was just two years younger than him Ashton nodded, turning to his computer to begin listening to the demo Luke had sent again, promising himself that it wasn’t because he wasn’t prepared for this meeting, because he definitely was.

“I’m not ready to sign you to a deal yet, mostly because it’s not just up to me. There’s a few other people that need to make this decision with me. But I do want to give you space to work on this demo, maybe make it sound a bit tighter as far as the blending between the instruments and your voice go. I can work with you a few days a week in the afternoons to work on this, and obviously there would be people in the studio really working with you most of the time.”

“Are you serious?” Luke looked back at Ashton with a hint of worry behind his voice, almost as if Ashton was playing a sick joke, and he wasn’t going to be able to get this opportunity.

“Yes. Luke, I know we’ve met before, but I don’t know you well enough to sit here and joke around with you.” Ashton smiled, ignoring the pounding in his head and his fluttering heart from being with this boy by himself, mentally telling himself to knock it off, and that he probably wasn’t even gay. 

"You have no idea how happy this has made me. I can't thank you enough.” Leaning forward to shake Ashton’s hand Ashton was left worrying that his hands were incredibly sweaty when their palms met, grateful that if they were Luke hadn’t mentioned anything.

“Lucy will help you organize some dates that you’re available to come in, and I’ll come in and help out with some input when I can. Bit busy with some other things, but I really do want to help you make this demo even better to present to my colleagues.” 

Standing up from his desk the two boys walked back out to Lucy’s desk, leaving each other with another small goodbye, Ashton making his way back to his office, his head swirling with all sorts of thoughts and emotions.

If he was stressed out about work before that meeting, he could only worry about what his life was going to be like now that he was working with a boy like Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the support on the first chapter, it means a lot! xx
> 
> I finally worked out my work schedule and the only day I'm really going to have time to update for now is Thursdays, so I've decided to just start uploading on Thursdays now!
> 
> Emmi will be coming into the story very, very soon, and I hope you guys like her! 
> 
> Let me know if you like it, thank you for all of the support! (: x


	3. three.

“When me and Delaney were coloring today Quentin came over and ripped up our paper, Daddy! We told Ms. Jones and she made him sit in the naughty corner and he had to ‘pologize to us.” 

While his headache had dissipated Ashton was still feeling lethargic and mildly hungover he really did enjoy hearing about his daughter’s school day, his hand grasped tightly in hers as they walked back to their apartment building.

“That wasn’t very nice of him.”

“He’s mean, Daddy. I don’t like him very much.”

“Maybe he was just having a bad day. Remember, we always try to be friends with everyone.” Ashton was borderline preachy with how much he wanted his daughter to be friends with everyone, and he knew it. His friends teased him about it, but he wanted his daughter to be respectful to everyone, even if they weren’t very nice to her.

“He has a lot of bad days, Daddy.” Emmi sighed, her eyes widening as she looked up at her father, Ashton stifling his laughs as he let go of her hand, holding open the door to their building for her to rush under his arm.

“What do you think, pasta for dinner?” Pulling his shoes off to put in the bin at the front door Ashton watched as Emmi did the same, her backpack hanging up on a hook she could reach.

“Yummy.” She smiled, running down the hall to her room to change out of her school uniform, reappearing minutes later in the kitchen where Ashton was grabbing everything he needed for dinner that night.

“Do you have homework?” 

“Uh huh.” Nodding quietly Ashton was just barely able to catch the eye roll from his daughter as she turned on her heels to grab her backpack, bringing it to sit at the counter so she could work on it.

“Other than Quentin being mean today, did you have a nice day at school?” Scrolling through the emails on his phone Ashton had tried to tell himself that Emmi was more important, but he was still feeling overwhelmed from what little work he had gotten done after Luke had left his office that morning that he felt the need to keep up.

“We learned new math. It’s weird though. I don’t like math very much.” Pushing her hair away from her face Emmi made a face that Ashton could rival, watching her as she practiced her spelling words with little effort, continuing to talk about everything that she had done that day.

By the time Emmi had finished her homework and put it all away Ashton found himself at the stove with his mini person next to him on her stool, breaking the pasta over the pot of boiling water, Ashton warning her multiple times that the pot was very hot, and it would burn her if she touched it.

“I know, Daddy, I’m not going to burn myself, promise.” She mumbled, her eyes rolling again as she sighed, finishing dropping the pasta into the pot, brushing her hands off over the counter while Ashton gave it a quick stir.

“Daddy, you seem stressed.” Turning to face her father Emmi let her tiny hands rest against Ashton’s arms, Ashton sighing as he bent down further towards Emmi’s level, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

“I’m okay, baby. There’s a lot going on at work, but I’m fine. How about you, are you good?”

“Uh huh! I’m really good, Daddy!” A quick grin had left Ashton more than satisfied that Emmi was okay, despite him not really having much time to do anything with her lately.

“Good. I promise you very soon we’ll be back to doing fun things together all of the time, okay? I’m just a little busy at work right now, but I’ll be back to normal again soon.” He promised, not wanting to lie to the five year old who was wise beyond her years. When Ashton had received an excited nod in return his nerves had settled only slightly, turning back to finish getting dinner ready.

—

After dinner Emmi had curled up against Ashton’s side in the most heartwarming and comfortable way Ashton had ever thought was possible, his heart swelling to the point where he felt it was going to burst. It had been so long since he had even cuddled with her, he forgot what it was like to have her pressed against his side like she did when she was younger.

When 8 o’clock had rolled around Ashton knew he needed to start getting Emmi in bed, but something had told him to just let this moment last a little while longer. 

8:30 had come before Ashton had time to blink and this time he did make a move, sighing quietly as he sat up, Emmi’s whines following soon after.

“It’s time for bed, bug. You’ve got school in the morning and I’ve got work.” 

“No, Daddy.” 

“Yes, baby. We’ll cuddle tomorrow, I promise.” Lifting her up in his arms with ease Ashton walked down the hallway, making his way into the room he had decorated a jungle theme when she was little and absolutely obsessed with The Lion King.

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

The question was innocent enough and Ashton almost broke at that moment and said yes, but then he remembered that one night would turn into two, and before he knew it Emmi would be in a habit of sleeping with him.

“Not tonight, bug. You need a good night’s rest for school.” He sighed, Emmi whining as she slipped her pajama shirt on, walking over to her bed so Ashton could tuck her in.

“Night Emmi bear, love you forever.”

“Love you, Daddy." Shutting off her light and closing the door behind him Ashton made his way down the hall, retiring to his bedroom for the night as well.

As Ashton got ready for bed and turned on the television to provide some white noise while he worked on some contracts for work before sleeping, his mind kept wandering back to his meeting with Luke that morning and the fact that he had agreed to help out with his demo EP so he could present to the executives.

Ashton's mind wandered to Luke as his hand cramped from initialing countless papers, the night quickly disappearing quicker than Ashton could realize. Settling into bed that night his mind was full of possibilities that were so unrealistic to him he felt silly dreaming about everything that could be.

But isn’t that what made things feel so special?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to update yesterday, i'm sorry! I had a crazy afternoon.
> 
> I'll update next Thursday, promise! Xxx
> 
> This update was just a little of Emmi/Ashton love for you. She'll be in it a lot more now, promise! Hope you guys like her :)


	4. four.

As fall was slowly beginning to turn to winter and the leaves began falling off the trees Ashton noticed that their walks to school had gotten increasingly longer, Emmi insisting on stepping on every leaf she could find, disappointed when she found that the leaves weren't as crunchy as they may have looked.

“Maybe after school today we’ll go get a treat for being so patient the last few weeks.” Letting their hands swing in between them Emmi looked up at her father with eyes as wide as saucers, her ponytail he had expertly constructed this morning bouncing in excitement.

“I like that idea, Daddy.” She smiled, letting Ashton bend down to her height to kiss her on the nose, Emmi giggling.

“Be nice to everyone today, I’ll be here to pick you up after school. Love you, Ember.”

“Love you, Daddy.” She smiled, giving him a quick hug before promptly turning on her heels and running up the steps into school, joining her other friends to walk to their classroom.

—

After a morning of conference calls and meetings that were enough to make Ashton feel like he was going stir crazy he made the executive decision to leave the office and make his way to the studio to check on Luke, who was having his first studio session that afternoon.

He hadn't intentionally looked at when Luke was booked in, he just happened to be met with the master schedule that was left on Lucy’s desk, and Luke’s name happened to pop out at him.

Or at least that’s what he told himself.

Ashton made his way down the halls of the studio just down the street from their offices, opening the door to the studio Luke had been working with, immediately being greeted by a few of the studio techs that were hired to help out.

“Hey, Ashton.” Glancing up from the sofa he had been sat on tuning his guitar Luke moved it aside to stand up and shake Ashton’s hand, Ashton smiling.

“Just thought I’d come spend a little bit down here with you guys, see how things are going.” 

Planning on only spending a few minutes catching up with Luke to see how he was doing Ashton was shocked to see that those few minutes had turned into hours, and now he only had 20 minutes to get through Sydney and back to Emmi’s school in time to grab her from school without her needing to wait.

“Hey, I’ve got somewhere I need to be in 20 minutes and time got away from me. Here’s my number if you need anything, otherwise I’ll come in and see you next time you’re in.” Before Ashton had a chance to realize what he was doing he found himself scribbling his number down on a piece of paper he found lying around, saying a quick goodbye and leaving before he had a chance to do anything else that was potentially incredibly embarrassing.

—

“You were late today.”

“I know, I got stuck at work doing some things. I’m sorry, baby, it won’t happen again.” Taking Emmi’s hand as he caught his breath Ashton walked back to the car with her, setting off for a bakery just down the street that they used to frequent when she was younger and not in school all day.

Emmi spent most of the car ride talking about everything they had done in school that day and what she had learned, Ashton interjecting whenever he had a moment to get a word in, which wasn’t often with a five year old as outgoing as Emmi was.

“Hey, I think there’s someone you know waiting outside the bakery.” Interrupting what felt like the millionth story Emmi had managed to tell in the past five minutes Ashton watched as she noticed Calum leaning against the windows, his fingers tapping against his phone screen methodically.

“Uncle Cal!” Before he had time to process what was going on Emmi was running into his legs, squeezing tightly as if hugging him while he was standing was a normal procedure with everyone that she knew.

“Hi, munchkin. Did you have a nice day at school?” Waiting for Ashton to catch up the three of them walked into the bakery, Emmi launching into yet another story of her day at school, pausing only briefly to point out what she wanted as an after school treat.

Emmi had long since finished her treat and had moved on to playing a game on Calum’s phone, leaving the two of them to talk for a bit before needing to leave.

“You still seem stressed, have you been taking breaks from work?”

“Are you my mum?”

“Ash.”

“No, I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so mean. There’s just a lot going on at work right now, and I had planned on getting more done today but then I went down to the studio to check on Luke and see how his recording was going and —“

“Hang on a minute, Luke? Like, Michael’s friend that we just met Luke?” Interrupting Ashton with an inquisitive look on his face Ashton looked back in confusion, as if Calum hadn’t been listening to anything Ashton had said the past few days.

“What do you mean? Yes, that Luke. Did I not tell you that I had a meeting with him?” 

“No Ash, you didn’t.” Leaning back in his chair Calum couldn’t help but smirk, his attention turning to Emmi briefly when she had reacted to something happening in her game, quickly quieting down and leaving the two of them to continue once more.

“The night after we met him for dinner he came to my office for a meeting about presenting his demo. I offered to let him record it again and make it more professional, and then we could present it to the execs at work.”

“So you’re working with him.”

“I mean, not really? I said I’d stop by and help, but like, I’m not in charge or anything.” 

“But you want to help him. Ash, you never go to the studio to work on demos, especially on the first day.” Ashton knew that Calum had a point, and what was he supposed to say? It was rare he found himself at the studio on the first day of demo recordings, and frankly, he wasn’t sure why this time was different.

It’s not like he knew who Luke was. They had gone for drinks once, and even then, he had come with Michael, not him. He didn’t even really think about it. I mean, he had thought Luke was cute, but who wouldn’t? He was uncharacteristically charming that first night they had met, Ashton remembers wondering how he was so confident while only knowing one other person at the table.

“He’s Mike’s friend, I thought I’d help out a bit. It’s nothing, Cal.” With that comment Calum had ended the conversation, letting things move on to another topic, Ashton grateful that Calum didn’t press the issue.

As Ashton returned home that evening and got back into their normal routine he couldn’t help but think back to the conversation with Calum that afternoon, confusing himself even more than he already was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am really...not doing great with this updating on Thursday things. So I bring you yet another Friday update!
> 
> One of these weeks I WILL remember to update on a Thursday, let's see if next week can be the week!
> 
> Thank you for reading and leaving kudos and comments on it, it means the world! (: x


	5. five.

“You’re going to be good for Haley, right?” Sitting on the toilet and drying Emmi off in front of him Ashton questioned, Emmi sighing as she nodded.

“Why can’t you just stay home?” Her bottom lip jutting out almost made Ashton send a text canceling his plans in favor of staying home with her, his little girl having him wrapped around her finger.

“It’s for work, baby,” And maybe it was a little white lie, but Luke was going to be there, so maybe they’d bring work up? “I promise this whole weekend it’s just you and I.” He tacked on, pulling Emmi’s shirt over her head before grabbing the brush, Emmi sighing as she nodded slowly. 

One quick cuddle and a story later Ashton had left his little girl with Haley, setting off for the bar they had previously met at a few weeks before.

It took Ashton only seconds to locate Calum and Michael in the back of the bar, his heart speeding up as he inched closer to the table, noticing that Luke had already arrived as well.

“It's about time you showed up." With a smirk Calum slid the beer in front of Ashton when he sat down, Ashton thanking him quickly. 

Conversation fell over the table and before Ashton knew it he was feeling tipsy, despite the fact that he had only had two beers.

Pulling his phone out to make sure he didn’t have texts from the sitter Ashton’s eyes widened when he saw it pushing 11 o’clock, his phone being shoved back into his front pocket, getting ready to go.

“I have to get going, it’s late for me.” Standing up from the table and saying a quick goodbye to the three lads Ashton was off before Luke even had a chance to question it, turning back to the two boys who were still there.

“Is he okay?” Was all Luke could muster when he noticed his mates staring at him, Calum quickly nodding.

“He’s had a lot going on at work, I think he’s overwhelmed by it all. Don’t worry, in a few weeks he’ll be back to being a lad and hanging out with us without being distracted.” Calum knew he had told a bit of a lie, but it wasn’t going to hurt anyone. 

—

“Have you not talked to Luke anymore than work things?” It wasn’t unusual for Calum to find himself at Ashton’s flat in the morning before they needed to be at work, Emmi still asleep with just a little more time before she had to get up to start getting ready.

“What do you mean? We just met him, Cal, I haven’t exactly spilled everything that’s happened in my life to him.” Continuing to work on breakfast for the three of them Ashton only briefly looked up to watch Calum, who had abandoned his job of working on the sides to focus on the conversation he had started.

“I don't know, I mean, you haven’t mentioned that you’re a dad? Or like, you’re gay, or single, or anything really.” Freezing when he heard the words leave Calum’s lips Ashton took a deep breath, finally bringing himself to make eye contact with the boy.

“I thought keeping Emmi a secret for now was advised? I haven’t dated in years, Cal, god. I don’t know what to say or how forward to be. Plus, are we sure Luke’s even gay?”

“Michael said he was.” And while it wasn’t a confirmation directly from Luke’s lips, Calum was hoping that would be enough to convince Ashton.

“He wouldn't want to date me, I’ve got a five year old!” Ashton whined, trying to keep his voice down so Emmi couldn’t hear him, fearing that she may have woken up early.

“Emmi is an angel, Ash, I don't know why you think that would be a deal breaker. And you don't know how Luke feels about kids. You really should ask him about his life, or tell him about you. You have time at work.”

“There’s other people around.” 

“Then tell them to leave. Invite him to lunch with you. Ash, you're making excuses.” He knew Calum was right, he knew he just needed to go for it and ask Luke out so it can be just the two of them, but there was something incredibly terrifying even just thinking about it.

“Okay.” Ashton whispered, defeated, and if that was all Calum was going to get from the boy, it was something he was going to accept.

—

“Daddy, I don’t really feel like swimming today.” Kicking her legs back and forth from her spot atop the stool at the island, Emmi popped another grape into her mouth.

“Ember, we have this conversation every time you have to go. It’s only for an hour, and I’m staying and watching this time.” From the minute Emmi had turned four Ashton put her into swimming lessons, something he had found her to be good at. While her only being five years old had stopped him from putting her on the swim team, he also loved seeing her so active and excel at something when she worked hard.

Ember chose to not answer back as she held her hands out to be lifted off the counter, disappearing down the hall to what Ashton hoped was get ready for swimming, her suit laid out on her bed that morning.

Ashton cleaned up the kitchen before making his way down the hall, relieved to see Emmi in the bathroom ready for swimming, focusing on brushing her teeth as she stood on the step stool Ashton purchased a few years ago, it’s yellow color now littered with stickers of every character imaginable, the remnants of her rewards she received when Ashton had managed to tackle potty training. 

“I’m ready.” With a sigh Ember emerged from the bathroom now with her swim bag on her back, Ashton biting back a smile as he nodded, shuffling her down the hall and towards the front door, Ashton hoping that they would finally make it on time.

—

After an hour of swimming lessons and a little girl who couldn’t stop talking about all of her friends and what they did that day despite Ashton staying and watching the pair found themselves in the middle of the grocery store, Emmi trailing just behind Ashton as he picked up a few things that he needed for dinner that night.

“I think we need chocolate for dinner, Daddy.” Giggling softly as she trailed behind Ashton Emmi looked up and down the aisles, obviously bored of being there.

“Oh do you? You think chicken, pasta, and chocolate sounds good for dinner then?”

“Uh huh. And then cake for dessert!” Her eyes widening in excitement when she thought of the idea, Ashton just shaking his head.

“I think someone just wants sweets. Sorry, love bug. Maybe ice cream after dinner, but no chocolate with it and definitely no cake. Now, do you want to pick the type of pasta?” When Emmi nodded Ashton bent down to pick her up so she could see them better, freezing when he heard a voice call his name.

“Ash?”

“Luke.” Ashton breathed, his mind immediately beginning to race.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finally remembered to update on a Thursday! 
> 
> I feel really bad leaving it on a cliffhanger like this omg, but it had to be done. What do you think Luke will say now that Ashton has Emmi with him? Do you think he will introduce her?
> 
> thank you for reading and leaving kudos and being supportive, it means the world (: x


	6. six.

“Hey, Luke.” Standing up and situating Emmi on his hip Ashton reached his free hand out to shake Luke’s hand, a smile on his face.

 

“This is Ember, Ember this is Luke. He’s recording songs at the studio I work at.” Leaving out that she was his daughter Ashton introduced the two, Emmi opting to smile softly before letting her head fall down against Ashton’s shoulder. Ashton smiled, smoothing out her wet hair with his free hand.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Ember. You’re very pretty.” Ashton knew that Luke could tell something was up, and he wasn’t sure if it was because Emmi and him shared the same eye color, or the same dimples when they smiled. It was obvious to anyone that they were related, and in some twisted way, Ashton wished that Luke maybe thought they were just siblings.

 

“You’re really nice, Luke.” Emmi spoke up, Luke laughing as he nodded, glancing between the pair before turning his attention back to Ashton.

 

“I don’t want to keep you two, I just thought I’d say hi. I’ll see you on Monday at the studio?” Luke questioned, Ashton quickly nodding.

 

“I’ll um, I’ll call you tonight probably, but yeah, I’ll stop by in the afternoon.” Ashton promised, letting Emmi say goodbye before they went their separate ways, Ashton carrying Emmi towards the checkout.

 

“That was weird, Daddy.”

 

And for once, Ashton was going to have to agree with the five year old.

 

—

 

Getting Ember bathed and into bed was nothing short of a feat, leaving Ashton feeling like he had just reached the end of a marathon by the time he had collapsed on the sofa. He briefly thought about going to bed himself, but with it being only 8 at night and the fact that he was an adult who could _definitely_ keep up with an energetic five year old, he had decided against it.

 

Ashton remembered back to the grocery store encounter with Luke and how he had promised he would call him that night, and while it was said in the heat of the moment, Ashton knew he needed to come through on that promise.

 

Ashton felt the breath he had been holding leave his body when Luke picked up the phone, sounding as if he had been waiting for the call.

 

“Luke, hey.” Ashton wasn’t sure how to bring all of this up. What was he supposed to say, that he had a daughter that he didn’t bother introducing her as when they had met, and he had been hiding? He was positive there was no help article he could read to figure all of this out, only making him feel even more anxious.

 

So as the small talk ended and the inevitable conversation grew closer, Ashton did the only thing he could think of doing that made the most sense to him.

 

“Why don’t you come over tomorrow afternoon? I promise we can talk about the whole store meeting thing then.”

 

—

 

Calum had graciously volunteered to take Emmi out for the afternoon for some “bonding” time, and when Emmi had found out, Ashton couldn’t have been more relieved to see that she was excited at the thought of spending at whole afternoon with her uncle. Ashton knew it was because he always spoiled her to no end and let her get away with everything, usually dropping the five year old off hyper and excited after spending an afternoon doing what she wanted, but for his own sanity he pretended that Calum didn’t absolutely spoil the little girl.

 

The knock on his front door came right at 2 on the dot, when Ashton had told Luke to come. He was a bundle of nerves and was positive that nothing would stop the anxiousness coursing through his veins, sweat forming just at his hairline that he so desperately tried to ignore.

 

“Hey.” Luke looked as put together as ever, Ashton’s body releasing the tension as soon as he made eye contact with the boy, welcoming him into his home that was the cleanest it had been in months.

 

After the two of them had gotten drinks and settled on the sofa to talk, Ashton found himself at a loss for words. He was almost positive no one had written a book on how to tell someone that you have a daughter, especially when he’s not even romantically involved with him at that moment in time.

 

“Look, obviously I have something I need to talk about, but I don’t really know how to go about it.” If there was a way to not go about it Ashton was pretty sure he was starting off on that track, internally cringing as the words leaving his lips without allowing his mind to process what he was saying.

 

“Ash, you don't have to feel nervous about what you want to tell me.” Luke couldn’t help but laugh quietly as he spoke, leaving Ashton to laugh along as well, easing the tension in his body for only a moment, quickly beginning to understand that things were going to be okay.

 

“Listen, the other day when we saw each other at the grocery store, I feel like I was short with you, which I didn’t want.” Ashton found his fingers intertwining with each other as he spoke, his palms sweating with each sentence he attempted to form to help it all make sense.

 

“The little girl, Ember, that I had with me wasn’t just a sister or a niece,” he began, taking one more deep breath before continuing, his eyes finally finding their way back to Luke. “She was my daughter, Luke.”

 

When Ashton was met with silence from the boy sat right next to him he couldn’t say that he was incredibly surprised, especially giving the news he had just delivered.

 

“I’m not expecting you to understand, and there’s nothing that I can really do to make this less surprising for you.”

 

“How old is she?” 

 

“She’s five.” Luke only nodded as he took a deep breath, and Ashton could tell his mind was spinning. Ashton didn’t feel much better himself, worried that this was going to ruin everything, and all of the things he had thought about Luke would be gone.

 

“Her name is Ember, as you know. I call her Emmi most of the time.” Ashton began, desperate to fill the silence with something other than the two of them breathing.

 

“Her mum and I were a fling right after we finished school. I was at a place in my life where I didn’t know how I felt and who I liked, and I thought maybe being with her would clear things up.”

 

“She got pregnant just as I had decided that I was definitely gay. I knew I needed to be there for her. I _wanted_ to be there for her. I was so scared, you know? I was 19, Luke, I didn’t know the first thing about raising myself, let alone raising a tiny human.” Ashton could feel himself getting emotional, a smile appearing on his face when he noticed Luke was still there, and was still listening to him.

 

“Almost a year after Emmi was born her mum decided she didn’t want to be in her life anymore. She just up and left. We weren’t together when Emmi was born, so we had shared custody. One morning she just said she couldn’t do it anymore, signed the custody papers, and left. And I was left with this baby girl, who was my whole world, to fend for ourselves.”

 

“I put myself through school and raised her, and when I got a job at the record label it was the best day of my life. Mine and Emmi’s lives changed, and it was what we needed.”

 

The silence took over the room again as Luke nodded, taking a moment to process everything before he spoke.

 

“So you’re gay then?”

 

Ashton’s laugh filled the room as he shook his head, biting his lip as he caught Luke’s eyes again.

 

“I’m definitely gay, Luke. That’s the one thing you don’t have to worry about.”

 

“I would understand if me being a dad would make you want to shift our relationship back to strictly professional.”

 

This time it was Luke’s turn to speak up, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, leaving Ashton a bundle of nerves.

 

“I don’t want this to change things between us.” He whispered, letting Ashton relieve all the worry in his body.

 

“I understand why you didn’t tell me, and I think that if I was in your situation, I would’ve kept it quiet for a bit too. And when you feel like the time is right for you and Emmi I would love to be able to meet her properly. But while I was a little upset that you didn't tell me right away, I understand.”

 

Before Ashton had a chance to respond Luke’s lips were on his, all of his worries disappearing as he sighed into the kiss, his hands finding Luke’s waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on a streak with this Thursday update now! 
> 
> it's a long chapter, and Luke finally knows about Emmi! How do you think it'll go when they meet?


	7. seven.

Three weeks had passed by since Ashton had told Luke about Emmi, and if Ashton was honest, he was surprised how well it had gone.

 

Ashton had turned into the dad that pulled up photos of his little girl at any chance that he could, Luke often playing along, telling Ashton how adorable she was and how she looked just like him.

 

Recording was quickly dwindling down and Luke had just a few more things to wrap up in the studio before it was sent to the executives, leaving limited time for both him and Ashton to have time to just be together without anyone else being in the room. Ashton was desperately craving a night where it could be just the two of them, wanting to talk to Luke more, wanting to get to know him on a level deeper than he already did.

 

With Ember at her first sleepover for the night and Ashton left with the house to himself he had offered to go to dinner with Luke, something the younger boy had taken him up on immediately. Luke had offered to host dinner so they could talk without the atmosphere of a restaurant for the first time, Ashton excited about the prospect of getting to know Ashton even more.

 

After packing Emmi’s bag and grabbing things that he would need Ashton got the address to Luke’s flat and made his way there after dropping Emmi off, kissing her head multiple times and making her promise that she would have an amazing time.

 

“It’s nice to be able to go out and be away from the music and things.” Ashton smiled, taking a sip of his wine as he looked across the island where Luke was checking on dinner, Luke nodding in agreement.

 

“I’m beginning to feel like I live at the studio. Which I love, but I also want to have a life. So this is a good way to spend my night away from the studio.” The conversation dipped into more about their lives and everything about them that they were willing to share, and Ashton felt more energized than he had in years.

 

For so long he had grown accustomed to dinner conversations with a five year old. Conversations that consisted of what princesses were definitely the best that day, the mean kids at school, and everything in between that came with having a five year old daughter. Now he was out to dinner with an adult that he definitely liked a lot, and their conversations were about their lives and everything in between, and he couldn’t have been happier.

 

As great as dinner had been going Ashton had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when his phone vibrated across the table, the number being from the woman who was hosting the sleepover. Quickly apologizing to Luke for taking the call Ashton brought the phone up to his ear, speaking quietly, promising he’d be there as soon as he could.

 

“Luke, I am so sorry. I wanted this to be perfect for us. But Emmi is at a sleepover and the mum just called and Emmi really wants to come home. This is not how I wanted this night to go.” Ashton stressed as he stood up from the stool he had found himself sitting on, taking only a minute to glance at Luke, who’s face was a mixture of both sympathy and a little disappointment.

 

“Ashton, I understand. Raincheck?”

 

“Of course.” Ashton breathed, pressing a quick kiss to Luke’s lips before he disappeared down the hall, leaving Luke’s earlier than he could’ve ever wished for.

 

—

 

By the time Ashton had arrived back at Emmi’s friends house and retrieved his little girl it was well past her bed time, buckling her into her booster seat in the back, her blanket clutched in her hands.

 

“Are you not feeling well, baby? Is that why you wanted to come home?” Looking through the rearview mirror as he navigated the streets back to their flat Emmi just shook her head, looking out the window as they made their way through the streets.

 

Leaving the conversation for now Ashton was relieved when they pulled back up to their flat, managing to grab both Emmi and her bag from the back seat, making it back up to their place in record time.

 

Dropping the bag by the front door Ashton made his way to the sofa with his little girl in his arms, letting her rest against his chest while he rubbed her back, ignoring what time it was and the fact that she should’ve been in bed almost three hours ago.

 

“Baby, why did you want to come home? Did something happen? I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.” Deciding to bring up the conversation one more Ashton hoped that this would go better, giving Emmi a few moments to collect herself.

 

“How come I don’t have a mummy?” There was a hint of hurt in her voice that was enough to shatter Ashton’s heart, struggling to come up with the words that could give his little girl the comfort she needed.

 

“Ember,” He breathed, his voice cutting through the thick air in the room, his lips laying against the top of her head, breathing in the raspberry shampoo that she had used the night before.

 

He knew this conversation would come up eventually, it was bound to when she realized that she wasn’t like all of the other kids. He was hoping it wouldn’t have been in this way, but now that he was here in this moment, he realized he was never really going to be prepared for this.

 

“Ember, having a mummy isn’t something that everyone gets to have. It doesn’t make you any less important, though. I know it hurts when other people talk about their mummy’s and you feel like you’re not included, but I promise you that you are just as loved as they are.”

 

“Emmi, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I can give you absolutely everything you want when it’s just me, and it kills me. I know you’re only five, and things like this don’t make a lot of sense. But what I can tell you is that I love you more than anything I’ve ever loved anything in this world, and I am always going to be here for you, with whatever you need.” 

 

The room was silent save for their breathing for a few moments, and Ashton knew that Ember was still upset. There were many aspects he loved about being a parent, but right in this moment he believed it was the absolute worst thing about having to parent by himself.

 

“Emmi, sweetheart, look at me.” Ember lifted her head to reveal her glossy eyes to her dad, Ashton taking a moment to brush the hair away from her eyes, brushing away a few stray tears before kissing her forehead gently, his much larger hands cupping her face.

 

“I love you more than you could ever imagine. I know this is upsetting and you don’t like the way the girls talk about things that you don’t have, but I promise you, we will get through this. I may never be able to give you a mummy, but I will always be able to provide you with the love and guidance your mummy should have given you. It may not be enough, but you and I can get through everything.” 

 

“I love you, Daddy.” Ember fell asleep against Ashton just minutes later, Ashton afraid that if he moved, she would wake up.

 

_I really am sorry about tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you._

 

Ashton waited a few moments before his phone buzzed in his hand, his heart racing underneath the steady breathing of Emmi, who hadn’t stirred.

 

**It’s okay, I understand. Emmi has to come first. Hope everything is okay x**

 

Ashton could fell his cheeks flush as he typed back his response with one hand, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t head over heels for this boy he had met just over a few months ago.

 

_She was just upset about some girls and why they have mums but she doesn’t. Knew this conversation would come, just didn’t think it’d be now. Things look better now though! Thanks x_

 

_We can do dinner next week? I’ll have Calum and Michael watch her for the night._

 

As his hand subconsciously rubbed against Emmi’s back Ashton took a moment to take everything in, realizing how much things had changed in a few short months.

 

**Dinner next week would be great. My place again?**

 

_Consider it a date, Hemmings._

 

_I’m going to get this munchkin tucked into bed, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight x_

 

Deciding to keep Emmi close to him that night Ashton settled her against the pillows on the opposite side of his bed, quickly getting ready for bed himself before he climbed in, Emmi latching onto his side like she did when she was a toddler sleeping with him after a nightmare.

 

In that moment, no matter how many things had gone wrong that night, Ashton truly believed that things were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there's going to be a raincheck on their date! do you think it'll go any better next time?
> 
> Thank you for reading, leaving kudos, comments, or just liking it! it really does mean a lot (:
> 
> more next Thursday!!! (:


	8. eight.

A week later and Ashton was feeling more confident that his second chance of a proper date with Luke would go much better this time around, Calum and Michael offering to stay with Emmi for the night, leaving Ashton free to stay out as late as he wanted to.

 

“Be good for Uncle Calum and Michael,” Ashton smiled, walking over to the sofa where Emmi had been sat engrossed in an episode of Peppa Pig, barely moving when he pressed a quick kiss to her hair. “Don’t be rude, listen to what they say.”

 

“Okay, Daddy.” Emmi sighed, rolling her eyes as she pushed against his chest, clearly more worried about what Peppa and George were getting up to to listen to exactly what her dad had been saying.

 

“Text me if you need anything.” Ashton smiled, Calum mimicking Emmi’s actions and rolling his eyes, pushing Ashton towards the door, promising that they would be fine that night.

 

—

 

Ashton arrived back at Luke’s flat with a bottle of wine in his hand, making his way through the hallways that were beginning to feel familiar despite only being there a few times, taking a deep breath before he knocked on the door, Luke opening it just minutes later.

 

“Hey, you.” Letting him walk in Luke waited only seconds before his lips pressed to Ashton’s effortlessly, Ashton leaning into the kiss, a smile appearing on his lips.

 

“I brought you this as an apology gift? For last week and all.” Luke pretended that he didn't see Ashton’s cheeks blush when he handed the bottle of wine over, thanking him quietly.

 

“Well, thank you. You didn’t have to bring it, you know. I understand that Emmi has to come first.” 

 

“I know, but I still felt bad.” Taking a seat at the island while Luke worked on dinner Ashton felt himself relax, thanking Luke quietly when he placed a glass of wine in front of him.

 

“So, are we going to start this over and make it a proper date this time. We won’t be interrupted this time, I promise. Emmi’s with Calum and Michael for the night.” He laughed, his lips leaving the wine glass as he gently set it down, Luke turning around with a smile mimicking the older boys.

 

“We are definitely going to start this over.” Luke smiled, leaning over to peck Ashton’s lips again, silently wondering if he would ever get tired of the feeling of pure happiness he had each time they pulled apart.

 

—

 

Dinner had been eaten and Luke found himself holding Ashton as they watched a movie on the sofa, although his mind was elsewhere.

 

“Ash, can we talk about something?” Finding the courage to speak up Luke waited until Ashton sat up and looked at him, worry etched on the boy’s face no matter how much he tried to hide it.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No, not really. I just, I wanted to talk about us.” Luke watched as Ashton took a deep breath and nodded, deciding it was best if he spoke up before Ashton got the wrong impression.

 

“Ashton, it’s nothing bad. I just, I wanted to know how you felt about us? I know we’ve talked about going on dates and having us be a thing, but how serious is this?”

 

Luke shouldn’t have been surprised when he was met with silence after basically word vomiting in front of the person that he was really starting to like, but it did make him feel slightly uneasy about how things were going to go.

 

“Luke, I want us to be serious. It terrifies me how much I like you. I’ve never fallen for someone this fast, ever. Even Ember’s mum it took a while for me to truly feel like we could’ve been a thing. It’s different with you.”

 

“I like you so much that it scares me because I have Emmi. It’s not just me that’s getting into this relationship, it’s my five year old little girl that still doesn’t understand that people may not always be around all of the time. The worst thing that could happen for me would be for us to be a thing and introduce Emmi properly and have you hang around with her, just for something to happen and for you not to be there anymore.”

 

Luke waited a moment to collect himself before he began to speak, wanting to make sure that what he said was something that he actually meant.

 

“I can’t begin to understand what it’s like to have a child going into a relationship, because I don’t have a child. But I understand why you’re so nervous about it. I’m nervous about it too. And I know I haven’t known you long but I just feel like this is going to work.”

 

“I haven’t ever grown this attached to someone either, and when I think about how fast I fell for you, it terrifies me. But what I do know is that I think we can make this work. And if you’d let me, I want to be there, for both you and Ember.”

 

Instead of answering Ashton pressed his lips against Luke’s, and that was all Luke needed to know about how things were going to change.

 

—

 

It’s just before midnight when Ashton realizes he’s been at Luke’s the whole night and he needs to get home, even though he knows Emmi is sound asleep and both Calum and Michael can handle it even if she did wake up.

 

“I wish you didn’t have to leave.” Luke murmured, pressed up against the front door as he watched Ashton put his shoes back on, pushing his glasses back up once he stood up.

 

“Wish I didn’t either, but it’s only the first date. Can’t move too fast, can we?” Walking over to meet his boyfriend Ashton smiled, Luke shaking his head, leaning down slightly for a kiss.

 

“We’ll plan something soon. I’ll see you Monday?”Ashton questioned, Luke nodding as he stole one more kiss, finally letting Ashton leave, promising him that he’d see him in a few days.

 

Ashton notices his phone go off on his bedside table when he emerges from the bathroom just a few minutes later, and when he reads the text that he had received, he doesn't even try to pretend like his cheeks don’t flush.

 

**I had a great time with you tonight, can’t wait to see you again soon. Sleep well xx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the date went much better this time! how do you think Emmi will feel when she meets Luke?
> 
> thank you for al the kudos and comments, they mean the world.
> 
> another update next Saturday! x


	9. nine.

Ashton is convinced that the best two months of his life since Emmi had been born were spent these past few months with Luke, which was saying a lot.

 

Luke and Ashton had fell into an ease that Ashton never remembers having, and as much as he wanted to fight it and take it slower, he had to admit that when he had the chance to be with Luke, it was as if all of his worries had melted away.

 

Luke had finished recording his EP which meant that the two of them had to meet for lunch rather than Ashton going to the studio on his breaks. The two of them made it work, and as Luke worked his part time job to make ends meet and afford his apartment, the two managed to find time where the two of them could be with each other as much as possible.

 

“I’ve got to present the EP to your bosses tomorrow.” Taking a sip of his Coke Luke managed to bring up the one thing that had been worrying him all day, Ashton smiling after swallowing his sandwich, taking his lunch a little late to meet up with his boyfriend.

 

“You’re going to be great, you know? The EP is sounding amazing, and you’ve got everything you need to sell it.”

 

“You have to say that.” Luke mumbled, pushing around his salad, only barely hearing Ashton laugh quietly.

 

“I mean, I’d be a shit boyfriend if I didn’t tell you that. But honestly, I can tell you that my bosses are probably going to love the songs that you’ve put together. And when you’re done, you can come to my office and we’ll go out for a celebratory lunch.”

 

“And if they hate it we’ll be celebrating that?” Luke raised his eyebrows as Ashton smirked, grabbing Luke’s hand across the table.

 

“We’ll be celebrating that you made it through the presentation.” He promised, and that was enough for Luke.

 

After a few moments silence Ashton decided that he just needed to say what he wanted to say before he chickened out, hoping that Luke would take things well.

 

“So, I’ve been thinking about us and how well things are going, and I know that as much as I wanted to take things slow, I can’t anymore.”

 

“When you start off a sentence like that I have to admit that it doesn’t make me feel like you’re going to say something good.”

 

“I um, I want you to meet Ember. Like, properly meet her.” Ashton sighed, immediately regretting his decision to feel as if this was the best time to say it. Now he was worried that this would be the one thing that would drive Luke away, and he would no longer be here.

 

“Ashton, are you sure?” 

 

“Yes. I mean, you’ve been in my life for a few months and I’m hoping that you will be here much, much longer. And Ember is so much a part of my life that I want you to meet her. You two need to get along for this to work.” Ashton knew he was talking a mile a minute, but since confessing that he wanted this to work out, he felt as if so much could go wrong.

 

 

“Of course I’ll meet her. God, Ash. I didn’t mean to make you nervous, I want to meet her. I just want to make sure that you’re truly ready.” Luke’s face softened as he rubbed his thumb against the back of his hand, Ashton smiling back.

 

“I’m ready.”

 

And that was all that Ashton felt he needed to say to convince himself that this was going to be okay.

 

—

 

Lunch had been finished and it seemed like the rest of the afternoon flew by when Ashton found himself standing outside of Emmi’s school, eager to have his little girl back with him.

 

“Hi, Daddy.” Emmi walked over to where Ashton had been standing, her arms wrapping around Ashton’s leg, Ashton laughing before bending down, picking her up in his arms, soon kissing the side of her head, making his way back to the car.

 

“How was school? Did you have a good day?” 

 

“Uh huh! Gracie telled me that we can go to her house and go swimmin’ soon! Can I go, please can I?!” Ashton could only laugh as he set Emmi down so she could climb into her booster seat, meeting the girl’s identical eyes.

 

“I’ll have to talk to her mum and see if we can work something out, but I’m sure there will be a time where you two can hang out and go swimming.” Ashton promised, leaving the conversation where it was, hoping that Emmi wouldn’t bring it up for a few days so he didn’t have to worry about not following through if it didn’t happen.

 

—

 

After Ember and Ashton had had their dinner and Ashton found himself on the sofa with his little girl curled up against him, Ashton knew there wasn’t going to be a better time to talk to Emmi about Luke and the possibility of meeting him.

 

“Baby, do you know how Daddy has been going out the past few weeks and seeing one of his friends?” Ashton began, not entirely sure about how he was going to go about this. If there was any article about it online he had read it, although he mostly found no solution to how to go about it when his daughter had technically already met Luke, even if it was by accident.

 

“Uh huh. I stayed with Uncle Calum and Mikey when you go.” She nodded, her eyes staying glued towards the screen, too engrossed in her cartoon to actually make eye contact with her father.

 

“Well, I’ve been going out with a man named Luke. Do you remember when we met him in the grocery store?”

 

“Yeah! He was nice, Daddy.” She smiled, Ashton laughing as he nodded, his fingers pulling through her hair, knotty from the bun she had it up in for school.

 

“He was.” Ashton began, finding himself taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, praying that Emmi would respond well to what he was about to ask.

 

“Emmi, I like Luke, a lot. And I want you to meet him so you can get to know him. He means a lot to me, but you mean even more. And if you don’t like him, then I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with him.”

 

“Okay, Daddy. I want to meet him.” Emmi smiled, taking her eyes off the screen to look back at her father, her eyes soft when she looked at him.

 

“I was thinking maybe we’d meet him at the park? That way you can still play with your friends after we meet him. Does that sound good?”

 

“Yeah. We going tomorrow?” Emmi questioned, Ashton smiling down, relieved to see how all of this was going.

 

“Maybe, I’ll have to talk to Luke. You have to be a good girl though, yeah? No being bratty?” 

 

“I’ll be very good.” Emmi spoke seriously, nodding her head slowly before smiling Ashton pulling her in close, pressing kisses to her head.

 

Ashton wasn't sure what the reaction was supposed to be for kids Emmi’s age when they hear that they’re going to meet someone important to their parent, and while Ashton knew that he didn’t exactly explain how important Luke was to him, he was taking this as a win, and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how do you think meeting Luke will go?
> 
> thank you for everything xx
> 
> updates next week! (:


	10. ten.

After packing a picnic basket that would probably be able to feed at least ten people, got Emmi’s scooter in the car after getting her ready, Ashton was able to admit that there was no more prolonging this meeting, and it was time for them to meet Luke at the park for the afternoon.

 

The sunshine was getting warmer with each passing day, finally coming to the time where Ashton and Emmi could spend most of their days outside in the sunshine, Emmi content with being outside for as long as she possibly could.

 

“Ember Marie, look at me please.” Looking in the rearview mirror on the way to the park Ashton glanced back to see Emmi looking towards the front, her doll clutched in her hand protectively.

 

“You need to be on your best behavior while we’re there today. No acting up, no talking back, do you understand me?” Waiting to continue Ashton noticed that Emmi had nodded, indicating that she was listening.

 

Pulling into the parking lot at the park Ashton got out of his own side before walking around to where Ember had been sitting, opening the door to find her standing in front of him, having unbuckled herself without any help.

 

“Ember, I want you to tell me exactly how you feel today. If you don’t like Luke, or if you’re upset by any of this you can tell me, okay? I won’t be upset if you don’t like him.” 

 

“I know, Daddy.” Emmi rolled her eyes, Ashton gently holding her hips, forcing her to stay still to look at him.

 

“Ember, I’m being serious. You will not upset me with anything you say today. Okay?”

 

“Okay, Daddy.” Emmi spoke, pressing her tiny hands against Ashton’s cheeks, leaning in to press a kiss against his lips.

 

If this was an indication on how the afternoon was going to go, Ashton had every reason to be optimistic.

 

—

 

Luke texted Ashton that he was on his way towards the park just as Ashton had finished setting their little picnic up, trying to keep Ember near their spot so she could meet Luke and eat before she went off to play with all of her friends.

 

“Hey.” Luke smiled after he spotted Ashton sat on the blanket, Ashton standing up, pulling him in for a hug, managing to sneak a quick kiss when Emmi wasn’t looking, instead her eyes trained on the playground in the short distance.

 

“Ember, come here sweetheart.” This was the moment that Ashton had been waiting for. He was nervous, excited, and every emotion in between. Ember obediently made her way to where her father was standing, letting him pick her up, settling herself against his hip.

 

“Ember, this is Daddy’s friend Luke. Luke, this is Ember. Can you say hello?”

 

“Hi, Luke! I ‘member you from the store!” Emmi giggled, her tiny fingers covering her mouth, Luke smiling back at her.

 

“I remember you, too! Are you having a nice day at the park?”

 

“We just got here, but Daddy says after lunch I can play!” Wiggling excitedly against her father Ashton could do what he only knew was right and set her down, letting her run back to where the picnic basket was.

 

“So far, so good. Just relax, babe.” Luke smiled, Ashton taking a deep breath as he leaned into the taller boy, the tension slowly leaving his body.

 

—

 

The lunch passed without incident, Emmi spending most of the time talking about her friends, what she liked to do, and how much she loved her dad, something that Ashton blushed at the longer that she went on.

 

Finishing up their sandwiches and Emmi finishing the bag of grapes Ashton had packed for her she looked towards her father expectantly, a smile plastered on her face, her bright green eyes wide with excitement.

 

“Can I go play now?”

 

“Go. Be careful, love bug.” Ashton called after her, watching her long legs carry her towards the playground, already setting off to find kids that would let her play.

 

“She is the cutest child I have ever met.” Luke’s voice brought Ashton back to the blanket and their conversation, his head turning to look back towards the younger boy, a smile appearing on his face.

 

“Do you go around and meet loads of kids?”

 

“Shut up, you know what I mean.” A playful shove against Ashton’s shoulder had him laughing again, Luke praying that he wasn’t as red as he felt.

 

“I know. Well, thanks mate. Means a lot, you know? And she seems to love you. Or at least be able to tolerate you.” 

 

“Shut up.” Luke whined, now having it be Ashton’s turn to laugh, leaning his head against Luke’s shoulder, making sure to watch Emmi to make sure that she was okay.

 

“I was so nervous about this, you know? Like, I was terrified that she wasn’t going to like you, or you wouldn’t like her or something. But I’m just happy that this is working and she likes you so far, and hopefully things will be okay.”

 

“Ash, you need to stop worrying. I knew I was going to like her because she’s yours, you know? And I’m glad she seems to like me so far, and I promise the more we get to know each other the better it will get.”

 

“Thank you,” Ashton whispered, looking up towards Luke, the sincerity in his eyes, “I can’t tell you the amount of guys that I’ve been interested in dating that just run when they find out I have a daughter.”

 

“I always thought I wasn’t going to be someone who got married, mostly because if you want me you need to also be okay with Emmi being a huge part of this. No one ever seemed to want both parts. I had kind of given up, and then I met you.” Ashton explained, Luke opting to stay quiet, wanting to give Ashton a chance to spill his thoughts.

 

“You were so open to it all when I had finally told you, and I realized that maybe this could work. I don’t know how I’m going to adjust to all of this, and I’ll probably be annoying, but you being so open about this and being so gracious with Emmi means more than you’ll realize.” Ashton whispered.

 

Luke pressed a kiss to the top of Ashton’s head while pulling him closer, and somehow that felt like more than enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so far things with Emmi are going well! do you think it'll always be like that?
> 
> thank you for reading x

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's been months since I've posted anything, and I have been so upset about that. I've been toying around with so many storylines and ideas and nothing really made me happy with the way that it was written and I didn't want to post something I wasn't completely happy with.
> 
> This story is something that I am actually proud of for the first time in months, and I hope that you guys enjoy it just as much. Please let me know in the comments what you guys think!
> 
> I'll update weekly, it's about all I can manage right now with work and things. If I have a chance to update more than that I'll do my best to get something up for you guys!
> 
> Thank you for reading, I appreciate it! Xxx :)


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